Savior Self
by RySenkari
Summary: After receiving a mysterious tip about a way she can finally return home, Anne ventures out to a hovel in the middle of nowhere in search of the person who might be able to help her. Instead, she reunites with Sasha, and discovers that both of them have been lured into a trap, forcing the two girls to put aside their drama and work together if they both want to make it out alive.


Once again, Anne Boonchuy found herself on an adventure in the strange world she'd been mysteriously transported to several months before. During that time, she'd faced life-threatening danger, learned many new skills, and had met and befriended a family of frog people, the Planters, who had taken her in as one of their own. And yet, despite the many amazing things Anne had done, and the fun times she'd had, she still desperately wanted to go home. She missed her family, she missed her friends, she missed her old life... and while she'd miss the Planters and all the other amazing frogs she'd met along the way, she knew she'd feel a lot better once she got back home to her own family and her own room and her own bed.

It was for that reason that Anne found herself in a clearing in an isolated part of this strange world, surrounded by trees and vines, standing in front of a small house. Nearby was a small pond filled with filthy swamp water and populated by bugs and worms, while the house itself was populated only by a single toad, a toad Anne hoped to get some valuable information from.

Anne had learned that this toad, named Thorne, was in fact a defector from the toad army led by Grime. He'd left the army a few months before she, Sasha, and Marcy had arrived in Amphibia, and according to the rumor Anne had heard, Thorne was in possession of an artifact that could potentially lead to a way home. It was just a rumor, but it was the only lead Anne had, and if it would help her get herself and her friends Sasha and Marcy back home, it was worth following up on.

Anne approached the hovel with some apprehension, mostly because she'd been strictly warned against the journey by Hop Pop.

"_Ya can't go followin' every little rumor ya hear!_" Hop Pop had warned her, before forbidding Anne to come to the hovel. "_How do ya know it's even true? And even if it is, this guy Thorne was in the Toad Army! Who knows what he's capable of? He might not have seen eye to eye with that Grime fella, but that doesn't make him a good guy! We've got a saying in Amphibia, 'the enemy of my enemy is my enemy too', and- hey, don't turn your back on me!_"

Anne hadn't listened to the rest of Hop Pop's spiel, but she didn't need to. There was nothing he could have said or done that would have prevented her from following up on this lead, and a few hours later, she found herself walking right up to the front door of Thorne's house.

_Sorry, Hop Pop, but opportunity knocks, and I'm gonna answer the door, _Anne thought as she extended her arm to knock on the front door of the house. _Actually, I guess I'm the one knocking, but the point still stands!_

Anne knocked on the door, but there was no answer. She knocked a second time and heard nothing.

"Huh, nobody's home. Guess I'll just let myself in," said Anne with a smirk, turning the doorknob and entering the hovel. "Hello? Anybody here? Thorne?"

It was a small house, with one large room and another small one. The large room was sparsely decorated, with a few shelves and cabinets, while the small room contained only some kitchen implements.

And despite the lack of a response to Anne's knock, the house wasn't empty.

"Anne?!"

A voice that Anne immediately recognized, belonging to a person that Anne also recognized, sitting on the floor in the center of the room. Anne looked down and saw the house's only current occupant, and was shocked.

"Sasha?! What are you doing here?"

Sasha was sitting on the floor, no longer clad in her battle armor, but in her Saint James Middle School outfit, the same one Anne had been wearing most of the time she'd been in Amphibia. The outfit still looked somewhat scuffed and dirty, but seemed to have been recently cleaned and patched up, most likely by Sasha herself after her fall from Toad Tower. She was also wearing her blue jacket, which had also been recently mended. She had seemingly made a full recovery from her fall, but had found herself in another rather dire situation. She was tightly bound with thin but strong ropes wrapped around her chest and ankles, while her wrists were bound together in front of her, secured to her legs by ropes wrapped just above her bent knees. Despite her situation, she'd lost none of her familiar ferocity, and glared up at Anne as she approached.

"What do you think I'm doing here? I've been captured by some jerk toad traitor who has a hate boner for Grime and is trying to use me as bait or something. I'd get myself loose, but I haven't had a whole lot of time to struggle and these ropes are actually pretty tight, you mind lending me a hand?"

Anne was glad to see Sasha in such good spirits, but the fact that her friend had been tied up by this mysterious Thorne was cause for alarm.

"Wait a minute, the guy who lives here tied you up? Did he kidnap you, or did you come here on your own?"

"What's that even matter, Anne?" Sasha snarled as Anne knelt down next to her. "I heard about a way to get us back home, so I came here hoping to ask the guy about it, only to get jumped and captured. It was just a trap to lure me in, and... wait a minute, did you hear the same rumor?"

Anne had just started working on Sasha's wrist ropes when she revealed the nature of Thorne's trap. She stopped, realizing that she might've made a huge mistake in coming here.

"Yeah... I... I did. Oh crap, Sasha, I have to get you out of here!"

But as Anne began fumbling with the knot, the door to the hovel opened, and a man walked in. Sasha looked up and her eyes went wide, while Anne started to turn her head.

"Anne, that's him, look out!"

Before Anne could move, a lasso was pulled around her arms and chest, yanking her backward. She fell and landed on her butt, her arms already as tightly bound as Sasha's were. Anne looked up and could see the culprit standing next to her, finishing tightening the ropes around her torso. He looked to be quite tall for a toad, though he was shorter than Anne and Sasha standing up, and his body and limbs also looked slightly thinner than those of a typical toad guardsman, though in his black robe he was still an intimidating figure. Anne began to squirm in her ropes as Thorne fetched more from a peg hanging on the wall, not taking her eyes off of him as he walked back over to her.

"What's the big deal?" Anne shouted, attempting to stand only to be roughly pushed back down onto her butt as her ankles were next to be bound together. "Why did you kidnap Sasha?"

"So you two do know each other," replied Thorne, securing Anne's ankle bonds and grabbing more lengths of rope to complete her restraints. "I had a feeling the lure of a way back home would bring you tall freaks here."

"The only freak in this room is you!" shouted Sasha, inching her way over toward Anne and Thorne by using her ankles to scoot across the floor. "I don't know what you have against the toads, and I don't care, but you messed with the wrong second in command!"

Thorne scoffed at Sasha, glaring back at her while holding the rope now connected to Anne's bound wrists. Anne wasn't one to sit still and allow herself to be tied up. She kicked and thrashed the entire time, but Thorne kept himself well out of range of Anne's long limbs, and simply ignored her as he responded to Sasha's intimidation.

"The fact that both of you put yourselves in danger so readily just to have a chance to come home just proves that you don't care about our world and you never did," said Thorne. "You've been using us like pawns in your game, manipulating everyone you see for your own personal benefit."

Sasha just smirked and rolled her eyes, figuring she could get under Thorne's warty skin.

"You wouldn't be wrong about that," said Sasha. "You're right, all I care about is getting home. Now, you're in my way."

"Sasha might have done some bad stuff, but she's not a bad person, and you need to let her go!" shouted Anne, still kicking and thrashing even as Thorne finished binding her wrists to her thighs just as he'd done to Sasha. "You need to let us both go right now!"

"That girl is a danger to all of us," said Thorne, pointing at Sasha. "You have no idea what she's capable of. Grime might have been stupid enough to fall for her lies and flattery, which is why I know he'll come for her, and I'll be able to take them both out in one fell swoop. The Toad Army has committed atrocities all throughout this land! That's why I left them behind, and that's why I'm going to put a stop to their crimes here and now. As for you, I don't know what you've done, but you're a freak like her and that makes you just as big a threat!"

"Listen here, you dumb toad!" shouted Sasha, scooting herself almost as close to Thorne as Anne was currently sitting. "You're the one who has no idea what I'm capable of. When I get out of this, I'm gonna rip your tongue out and whip you with it until all your slime comes out of your gross little pores, do you understand me?"

Sasha was furious, and even Anne was slightly startled by her friend's violent threats, but despite Thorne's words and despite the bad things she'd seen Sasha do recently, she still considered Sasha a friend, and there was no way she was going to let anyone hurt her, especially not a kidnapper and liar like Thorne.

"You tell him, Sasha!" Anne shouted, cheering on her friend. Meanwhile, Thorne hadn't replied to Sasha's threats. Instead, he had walked over to the other end of the room and had picked up a small contraption similar to a paint roller. The contraption was empty, but Thorne filled it by placing a small purple slug into it and securing it in place. Then, he walked over to Sasha and held the contraption up to her cheek.

"You might be good with a sword, but I know what your most dangerous weapon is, and I'm about to take it away from you," said Thorne. He then pressed a small trigger, and the slug squirted out a light blue slime that when applied with the device, spread a strip over Sasha's lips that looked much like a piece of tape. Sasha's eyes widened and she let out a loud, muffled cry of shock and indignation as her lips were sealed. "Your mouth."

"Ewww, gross!" Anne shouted, seeing the slug slime cover up her friend's mouth. "You can't put that nasty stuff over my friend's mouth! What's wrong with you?"

Sasha tested the slime gag for all she was worth, moving her lips around underneath it in a futile effort to remove it, but it held extremely fast, and her lips weren't able to budge even a hair's breadth apart. She was squealing fearfully at first, but as frustration set in, her eyes narrowed and her cries turned into growled curses, all of them unintelligible.

"Just let us go, Sasha's not as bad as you think she is! Why are you even doing this to us?" shouted Anne, knowing that she was helpless to protect either herself or her friend at the moment and trying her best to reason with their captor. "Look, I've dealt with the toads before. I protected the village from them. I helped bring down Toad Tower! Whatever problem you have with Grime, I can help you. I don't even care about going home, I just don't want you to hurt my friend!"

"You freaks are all the same," said Thorne, walking over to Anne. "If the situation was reversed, if you two had me as your prisoner, you'd both be torturing me for a way to get home, a way I don't have. All you creatures have brought to my home is destruction and pain, and now, I'm going to visit both of those onto you."

"Wait, don't-" was all Anne was able to get out before her mouth was covered with a strip of slime as well. She screamed furiously against it, letting out a cry of anger and revulsion, but it was no use. She had been rendered as silent as Sasha, and the two looked across the room at each other, their eyes saying the exact same thing.

_We're in trouble now._

"I wasn't expecting to have both of you here so soon," said Thorne, putting the slime roller back in its place on the shelf and looking down at both of his captives before focusing his gaze on Sasha. "I was hoping to spend some time interrogating you..."

_Get bent, _thought Sasha. She was scared, but she wasn't about to show it to some warty freak toad who had just kidnapped her and her friend, even under threat of torture. _Don't you dare break, Sasha. No matter what he does, don't show him an ounce of fear. Once you show fear, it's over._

Sasha looked back over at Anne, who seemed to already be letting her angry mask slide to reveal that she was getting scared. Sasha gave her an encouraging look, but it barely seemed to register with Anne, who was starting to appreciate the gravity of their situation.

_Sasha, I'm sorry. I should've been faster untying you! Now this Thorne guy is probably gonna hurt us, and he's gonna start with you. No matter what you've done, you don't deserve that. You're still my friend! Ugh... you probably don't think we're still friends, do you?_

As Anne and Sasha continued to look at each other, trying to convey their thoughts through their eyes, Thorne was racked with indecision. He had so much he wanted to do, but seemingly so little time with which to do it, even if his captives were both bound and helpless. He didn't know if Sasha had her toad army coming. He didn't know if Anne had more humans coming. He didn't know what to do with Anne, or how best to break Sasha. He needed time to think, and listening to the muffled swears and protests of these two freaks wouldn't help the situation.

"I'll be back shortly to figure out what to do with you," said Thorne, walking over to the front door and opening it up. "I trust neither of you will go anywhere in the meantime."

Before Sasha or Anne could shoot another dirty look his way, Thorne exited the hovel and closed the door behind him, leaving both girls alone.

Now, instead of looking at Thorne, the only people Anne and Sasha had to look at was each other, and that's exactly what they did. Their eyes met, and Anne couldn't have been more worried.

_She hates me. She blames me. It's my fault we're in this mess. _

Anne expected to see a look of anger and hatred in her friend's eyes... if it was even appropriate for Anne to still consider her a friend. After all, the last time they'd seen each other, they'd been fighting to the death. Sure, Sasha had sacrificed herself to protect Anne, but was that indicative of anything but a moment of regret and despair, and not a true gesture of their continuing friendship?

_Sasha...?_

Anne saw in Sasha's eyes not the fierce hatred they'd been expressing just a moment ago, but instead, a softer, more determined look, no hint of anger in them at all. In fact, looking down at Sasha's slimed lips, Anne almost thought she could detect a hint of a smile.

_Sasha? You're not mad?_

Sasha scooted herself over to Anne, still looking into her eyes. Sasha gestured with her hands, her head, and with a series of soft grunts that the two girls should try to undo each other's wrist ropes, and had positioned herself side to side with Anne to put them in the best position to do so.

_Okay Anne, let's see who can get the other one free first. If it's you, I won't hold it against you._

Sasha moved her fingers toward the knot securing Anne's wrists, and Anne quickly followed suit, her eyes meeting Sasha's again. The two exchanged a nod of understanding, and Sasha almost thought she could see a tear come to Anne's eye.

_Oh come on, don't get so emotional with me, _thought Sasha, who glared at Anne only for a moment before looking down at Anne's wrist knot and trying her best to concentrate. _Lemme just..._

The two girls started to work, attempting at first to free each other's wrists at the same time. Their fingers fluttered against one another's, and started to get tangled up, obstructing their view of each other's bonds and becoming more of a distraction than anything. Anne started to snicker as Sasha's fingers brushed and fought with hers, and when she looked up, she could see Sasha blushing slightly and snorting as well.

_Hey, I don't think this is gonna work, let's do this one at a time, k? _Anne conveyed her thoughts by raising her eyebrows and ceasing the movement of her fingers, and when Sasha saw that Anne was no longer working to get her free, she quickly got the message.

_Right, okay, one at a time. That's probably the smartest way to go about this. I'll try first. You better not mess with me after I get you out though._

Sasha began working on the knot, but the awkward positioning that her hands had to assume made things difficult. They were secured tightly to her legs, and she had to slide her legs under Anne's to get her hands close enough to attempt to undo the knot. The knot was extremely tight, tighter than any Sasha had come across before. Her fingers were small, flexible, and skilled, but despite putting her best efforts into it, she wasn't making any headway on loosening the knot.

_Dammit, this is really tight... _thought Sasha, a bead of sweat trickling down her forehead. She looked up at Anne, who was giving her an encouraging smile under the slime, and her wide, friendly eyes conveyed that smile. _Yeah yeah, rah rah I can do it, you were always the positive one._

Sasha sighed, but she felt a warmth in her chest at Anne's encouragement, something that spurred her forward to put even more of an effort into getting her friend free. Her hands were shaking slightly, and she could hear Anne muffling something to her, something that sort of sounded like 'it's okay, Sasha', but maybe that's just what Sasha wanted to hear.

_Sasha, you've got this. You're an amazing graffiti artist, you're so good with your hands, you can untie these knots no problem!_

But as the minutes wore on, Sasha and Anne both realized that they had a big problem. The knot hadn't budged. Sasha had begun to get frustrated, grumbling and emoting through the slime, and her hands had started trembling again. Finally, Anne reached over and clasped Sasha's hands in her own. Sasha looked up, and Anne tried her best to communicate to Sasha that she wanted to try and get Sasha's knots loose now. Sasha sighed with resignation, bowed her head, and nodded. Anne could see the frustration on her friend's face, and tried to lean over to nuzzle Sasha's cheek, but Sasha turned away.

_Whatever... _thought Sasha, letting out another sigh. She was angry at herself, and trying her best not to let that become anger with Anne, but it took her a few more seconds for her to swallow her pride enough to turn herself back toward Anne and position her wrists to be freed. _Okay, get me out of this, Anne..._

Anne nodded, not showing any ill feelings toward Sasha and her show of frustration. After all, she was just as frustrated about all of this as Sasha was, and she didn't want to let any negativity get between them as she worked to get Sasha's knot loose. Anne's fingers were a bit bigger than Sasha's, and a bit clumsier, but she had a brain for puzzles and hoped that there was a trick to the knot that would allow it to come loose... or that Thorne had bound Sasha up a bit looser than she was.

Anne began fumbling with the knot, but was running into the same problems that Sasha was: not only was the knot incredibly tight and secure, but Anne's hands were in an awkward position, and she couldn't get them fully engaged with the knot itself, so any loose parts of the knot were unable to be slipped further free if Anne was able to expose them.

Meanwhile, Sasha tried her best to encourage Anne, but just wasn't as naturally positive as Anne was, and mostly spent her time muffling a few words of encouragement at a time while trying to keep the scowl off her face. Anne kept at it, but after a few minutes, her fingers were starting to cramp up, and every attempt to reach over and loosen the knot was accompanied by a slight whimper of pain. Sasha could see that Anne was having a rough go of it, but didn't say anything to stop Anne, who kept at it as best she could to no avail. Finally, Anne stopped and let out a cry of frustration and pain, rocking her head back slightly and squealing as Sasha looked on with a slight gaze of concern. Anne then let out a half-cry, half-sob, leaning her head back in toward her legs. This time, Sasha actually moved to comfort Anne, leaning in and rubbing her face in Anne's hair.

_Okay, this long without shampoo is not good for the smell... _thought Sasha, wrinkling her nose but continuing to rub her face against Anne's head to comfort her. _Anne, it's fine... I couldn't get it either. It's gonna be okay._

Anne finally leaned back up and looked over at Sasha, and the two girls both exchanged looks of mutual concern. For the first time, Anne could see that Sasha wasn't terribly upset with her, and that was enough to cheer her up and let her smile again, if only slightly.

_Well, that didn't work, _thought Anne, trying her best to stay positive. _What now?_

Sasha looked down at her hands, then looked up at the slime covering Anne's mouth. Anne looked down at her own hands, then up at Sasha. The two seemed to have the same idea at the exact same time, and they both nodded before Sasha leaned her face in toward Anne's hands.

_If we get this grody slime off our mouths, maybe we can chew the ropes off_, thought Sasha. _Why didn't I think of this before?_

Anne started to pick at the slime with her fingers, but even though it stretched a little bit as she tried to tug on it, it didn't budge from its place against Sasha's mouth, and even stuck to Anne's fingers for a few seconds before the string of slime attached to them snapped back onto Sasha's face. Anne tried again, but the slime held fast, even when Anne tried using both hands and all of her fingers to pull it off. She pulled at it, she scraped at it, but it held like flexible glue. Anne shrieked with frustration as the slime refused to budge, and leaned her face in toward Sasha's fingers to allow her friend to give it a try. The results were the same: for all of Sasha's efforts, the slime gag stayed firmly in place over its victim's mouth, and Sasha nearly managed to get her hand stuck to Anne's face before finally managing to pull it free, leaving every bit of slime still stuck across Anne's lips. Realizing that she wouldn't be able to speak intelligibly any time soon, Sasha let out as loud a scream as she possibly could, while Anne groaned in frustration. Sasha continued to rant for several more seconds, her muffled screams filling the room while Anne looked on and began to struggle slightly in the ropes in another futile attempt to get them off of her body.

_I can't believe I got captured by a stupid toad! _Sasha screamed, clenching her fists and stamping her bound feet against the ground over and over. _I can't believe I can't get this stupid slime off my stupid mouth! I hate this! I just want to go home! I just want to go home!_

Now Sasha was the one who was almost ready to cry, a tear starting to form in one of her eyes as Anne looked over at her. Anne drew closer, and Sasha saw and almost immediately scooted away, turning herself around as much as she could so that Anne wouldn't see her in her moment of weakness.

_Hey... Sasha..._

Anne scooted over to Sasha, not about to let her friend suffer alone. Sasha tried to scoot away again.

_Sasha! _Anne scolded, her muffled cry of her friend's name maybe the only intelligible word she'd been able to form since her lips were sealed.

_Anne, this is my fault we're in this mess. Not just my fault we're tied up in some stinky cabin, but it's my fault we're both here. You know that. Why are you still trying to help me?_

Sasha didn't try to speak any of those words, but as Anne looked into her eyes, they conveyed the sentiment better than her mouth could do even if she was able to speak. Anne's eyes softened, and Sasha could read them just as clearly.

_'It's not your fault?' Yeah, whatever._

Anne glared at Sasha.

_Don't you DARE. _

Both of them were thinking these exact words simultaneously, each with starkly different meanings. Anne didn't want Sasha to blame herself for their predicament. Sasha didn't want Anne trying to encourage her. Neither one of them was going to back down. They sat there, looking at each other for several moments, trying to mentally push back against the other's emotional conveyances. It was a silent argument, and the two girls were both trying to make the other one understand.

Then, both girls realized the futility of their efforts, and couldn't help but laugh. Anne's laugh was quieter, more of a snort than anything, while Sasha's was a mix of a giggle and a slightly 'evil' laugh, a mix of sounds across two octaves. They looked at each other again, and most of the tension seemed to have left. They still had a lot they wanted to say to the other... so much they wanted to say, but it was impossible, and both of them were only just now realizing it.

_This sucks, _thought Anne, who, despite her frustration and fear, was still smiling. _I want to talk to Sasha so bad... I want to ask her to come back to Wartwood with me... I want to tell her how happy I am that she survived that fall. ...I want to tell her how toxic she's been. I want to tell her that I won't be manipulated or pushed around anymore. I... I don't know what I want to tell her, I just wish I could say something!_

_Anne... I don't know what I'd say to you if I could_, thought Sasha, whose smile was already starting to disappear. _What would we even talk about? Like, where would I even begin? I'm not even sure I want to talk to you at all, but here I am trying to tell you everything... all I know is that I hate not being able to talk. I hate this slime. What if it never comes off? I mean, apart from starving, I need my mouth! That jerk was right, it's my best weapon. This sucks._

Anne and Sasha began making looks at each other, moving their eyes around and scrunching up their faces. Then, Anne started gesturing with her fingers, pointing around the room and at Sasha, and then making weird signals accompanied by muffled words, almost as if she was trying to make shadow puppets and have Sasha guess what they were. Finally, Sasha responded with a gesture of her own... a single middle finger, accompanied by a smirk. Anne's eyes went wide. Then, she narrowed them and produced a middle finger of her own. The two girls started to laugh together again.

Once they'd stopped laughing, they resumed their efforts to communicate, using their hands and heads as best they could to convey what they meant to say to each other. Anne pointed at Sasha and pointed to herself, shrugging her shoulders and then smiling.

_We're still friends and I don't blame you for any of this, _Anne tried her best to say. Sasha looked at Anne, and her shoulders slumped slightly, and Anne tried her best to glean the meaning of this as best she could. Was Sasha saying 'I know, but I still blame myself?' or was she saying 'I don't believe you'? Anne's expression grew worried.

_Anne, it's fine. _Sasha's expression softened and she scooted as close to Anne as she could, and tried to place her hands on top of Anne's, but the positioning of the ropes hampered this, and instead, she leaned in and nuzzled Anne, while still having a look of regret on her face. _This is my fault, though._

Anne now understood that Sasha believed her, but also knew that there probably wasn't any way she was going to be able to get Sasha to stop blaming herself for what had happened. Then, she thought back to the tower, and the last thing Sasha had told her before letting go of her hand and falling. Anne felt sad again, almost like crying, and Sasha leaned in closer and nuzzled Anne again, then scooted back and looked away.

_No! _Anne muffled suddenly, one of her hands unclenching and trying to reach out instictively toward Sasha. Sasha looked back at Anne, and her eyes gave a sort of sad, almost disconnected look.

_It's true, _thought Sasha, before turning away again. Anne shook her head, but Sasha couldn't see it, and she let out another cry of frustration.

There was still a bigger gap between the two girls than Anne thought their was. The fight that had fractured their friendship still echoed, and despite Sasha's sacrifice, things were far from 'cool' between the two girls. The dynamic of their relationship, one that Anne knew was mostly built on manipulation, had changed, but it had left Anne still unsure of just how much of a friend Sasha truly was to her. That sacrifice had to mean _something_, but what? Anne thought of something to say, but couldn't say it, and couldn't express it with just a look. She was about to scream when she realized that she might have a way to communicate those feelings to Sasha after all.

_I just hope I still have it on me..._

Anne shifted her body around, and felt that there was indeed a lump in her pocket. She let out a quiet gasp, and continued to shift around until that lump moved and fell out onto the floor... her phone. She then turned herself enough so that she could use her hands to pick up her phone and began texting a message, with Sasha turning just as Anne typed out the last few words. Anne finished her message and showed it to Sasha.

_I'm not better off without you._

Sasha looked at the message on Anne's phone, and then back up at Anne, who nodded to indicate that she truly, sincerely meant it. She gestured for Anne to hand her the phone, and Anne did so without hesitation. Sasha typed out a reply and handed the phone back.

_You don't need me anymore._

As Sasha handed the phone back, Anne could see a strange mix of bitterness and sadness on Sasha's face, and then looked at the message. Anne raised her eyebrow at it before looking back at Sasha.

_Of course I don't need you. I never needed you. ...do I?_

Anne looked down at her phone again. She wanted to type something, but she was lost in her own thoughts.

_Of course I need Sasha. That's why she was able to manipulate me so much. I needed a friend. She was there. She protected me. She looked out for me. She taught me so much... but... most of the things she taught me... weren't good..._

Anne looked back over at Sasha again, who sighed and rolled her eyes and looked away. Anne typed something out and tried to show her the phone, but Sasha refused to look.

_Sasha, dammit, look at the phone! _Anne screamed, her fury surprising even herself, and especially Sasha, who glanced at the phone and saw the message Anne had typed out.

_I still want you to be my friend._

Sasha looked at Anne, who typed out another message to Sasha as she watched.

_I don't need you in the way you think I do, but I still need you._

Now Sasha was the one raising her eyebrow, and Anne just shrugged, knowing that even with the ability to type, she couldn't convey to Sasha what she felt she needed to.

_We've got a WAY different idea about friendship, and I get that now, _thought Anne. _It took me a long time to learn that and it took the Plantars to teach me, but I get it now. You still don't, and that's okay. I want to help you, even if you don't think you need it. Ugh, I can't text all that, it'll look awkward in a text! What the heck am I supposed to say to her? _

As Anne started to look frustrated again, Sasha took the phone from Anne's hands and started to text something. She made a few muffled noises to get Anne's attention, then she showed Anne the text.

_We're still friends. _

Anne smiled from ear to ear, the slime curving with her lips, her eyes and cheeks giving away her joy. Sasha smiled back, then typed another message to Anne and showed it to her.

_End. Of. Discussion._

Anne started to laugh again, and Sasha laughed as well. Sasha's words, once quite intimidating, once spoken in a tone that never failed to bend Anne to her will, were now a source of laughter and amusement, no longer holding the weight they once did, with both girls now aware that they knew the relationship between them had changed, and maybe, just maybe, in a positive way. As the two finished laughing, Anne gestured for her phone back, and when Sasha handed it to her, she typed out another message, this one an inside joke that the two had shared back in their world, along with Marcy. Sasha laughed, then typed out a joke of her own, a slightly more off-color one that made Anne blush, laughing but also fretting and worrying that when she did get back home, her parents would see that text once the phone was able to reconnect to the network. Sasha rolled her eyes and deleted it, then typed something even naughtier and handed Anne the phone back, prompting Anne to look extremely surprised and then laugh incredibly loudly, her nostrils flaring with repeated loud snorts.

The two girls spent the next several minutes typing messages to one another, and while they weren't as emotionally charged as the messages from before, they used this time to convey whatever important information that they could about their current circumstances.

_I'm still with the Plantars._

_Me and Grime and the toads found some place in the woods. I promised not to reveal it to anyone, but we're doing fine._

_Are you okay? Physically?_

_Grime broke my fall but I was conked out for a couple days. The cuts healed. You?_

_I'm fine too. I'm sorry._

_You did what you had to. I did too. _

_Any sign of Marcy?_

_Nothing. I hope she's okay._

_Me too, Sasha._

As Sasha started to type out her reply, curiosity got the better of her, and she began looking through Anne's phone, particularly at the pictures she'd taken. There were so many pictures of Anne hanging out with her new friends. Not just the Plantars, but of pretty much everyone in town. She'd gone on so many adventures... Sasha had barely been out of the tower. Sure, she'd been living it up, what with a hot tub and access to food as good as the food back on Earth... but she could tell that Anne had been having a lot more fun than her, and for a few moments, started to feel a pang of regret that her actions during her time here hadn't been the right ones. She'd aligned herself with the toads, the people who had given her her best chance of getting back home... but were they really her friends, the same way that Anne was friends with the Plantars and the people of Wartwood? The ones who'd named her Frog of the Year?

_Sasha? _Anne looked over at her friend, curious about what was taking her so long. She could see that Sasha was looking through her photos, and from the increasingly sad look on her friend's face, knew that Sasha didn't like what she was seeing. She had a look of understanding on her face as Sasha turned toward her, and the two looked at the picture on Anne's phone together, a picture of Anne with the Plantars... a picture of Anne's adopted family.

_I get it, _thought Sasha, looking over at Anne and handing her back the phone. _It's okay._

Anne didn't know what to make of the look on Sasha's face, but it was the same sadness she'd seen in her the moment before she'd let go back at Toad Tower. As Anne took the phone, Sasha bowed her head and looked away again, but before Anne could comfort her, she looked behind Sasha into the small, adjacent kitchen room and saw on one of the shelves a glint of metal.

_Is that... is that a knife?_

Anne began scooting over toward the kitchen, and Sasha took a few seconds to realize what Anne had seen. Anne looked back at Sasha, gestured toward the knife, and didn't have to do anything else.

_Sasha, let's go!_

Sasha nodded, and with looks of determination, the two girls scooted themselves toward the shelf. The knife was positioned in such a way that neither of them could reach it alone, but if one of them got on their knees and the other girl leaned on them, they could just barely grasp it in their hands. Anne got to the shelf first, and without hesitation, positioned herself for Sasha to grab the knife. Sasha looked at the knife, then at Anne.

_You trust me? _Sasha's expression was a mix of disbelief and unease, while Anne raised an eyebrow, astonished that Sasha would hesitate.

_What are you waiting for, grab the knife!_

Sasha nodded, and pushed against Anne, pushing herself upward to grab the handle of the knife. Anne shuddered a bit as Sasha pushed against her, pressing her bound fists into the dirt floor and letting out a grunt as Sasha leaned upward.

_Almost... got it... Anne, hold still!_

The two girls looked at each other and growled, but their expressions seemed to soften slightly at the same time, and Anne nodded, trying her best to keep steady so Sasha wouldn't slip or drop the knife and cut herself. Sasha reached forward, pushing her legs up as much as she could so that her arms, still secured tightly to her thighs, could reach the knife handle. With sweaty, shaking palms, she grabbed the handle of the knife, and shouted a loud 'got it!' through her gag. Anne smiled, but let out another grunt of pain. Sasha started to gesture to Anne that she could let herself fall.

Then, the door opened, and Thorne returned.

The two girls, startled, both collapsed to the ground at once. The knife slipped from Sasha's sweaty hands and fell to the floor a few inches away.

"I knew I shouldn't have left you two alone in here," said Thorne, storming across the room. "Even bound and gagged, you freaks are still dangerous..."

As Sasha tried to pick the knife back up, Anne turned toward Thorne and threw herself in his path, bending her bound legs back to strike at him with as strong a kick as she could. With her legs attached to her arms, Anne was unable to put her full strength into the kick, and Thorne easily dodged the kick before throwing Anne aside with his surprisingly powerful arms, causing her to roll to the other side of the room. He then turned his attention to Sasha, who had picked the knife back up and turned toward him in a stabbing gesture. Thorne lashed his tongue out at Sasha, wrapping it around the blade and yanking it out of her hands in one powerful motion, sustaining two small cuts to the sides of his tongue but caring little for that as he swiftly took the knife in his hand while holding Sasha against the wall with his other.

"I've changed my mind about using you to get to the toads," said Thorne, pinning Sasha against the wall by her throat as he held up the knife. "I don't need you alive for that. They'll come looking for your corpse, and then I'll have them right where I want them."

Sasha struggled ferociously, her face contorted into a mix of rage and terror. She shrieked at Thorne, swearing at him through the gag, but all thoughts of not showing any fear had gone out the window as she saw that knife blade with her name on it. She knew he could see that she was afraid, but she would try to be defiant to the end, fighting with everything she had, kicking with her helpless legs and pushing against him as much as she could. Even through her rage, a tear slid down the side of Sasha's face, and Thorne smirked wickedly at this, seeing the same fear in Sasha that he'd seen the toads inflict on their victims during his years of serving them. Satisfied that his victim was sufficiently afraid to die, Thorne brought his knife toward her chest.

It was about an inch from cutting her when Anne threw herself into Thorne as hard as she could, knocking him away.

_Get away from her, you asshole! _Anne shouted, the slime muffling her words but her eyes expressing the exact same sentiment. Despite the weapon in Thorne's hand and her current captive condition, Anne went at Thorne fearlessly, pushing herself toward him and kicking at his face with her bound legs. Thorne leaped back just in time to avoid the kick, then swung his knife down at Anne, slashing one of her legs and making a mild gash. Anne let out a grunt of pain, and Sasha let out a slight shriek as she saw the blood trickle down Anne's leg, but Anne was relentless, aiming another kick at the furious toad. Thorne stabbed at her again, but this time, instead of cutting flesh, the knife cut rope, and instantly, Anne's ankles were freed from one another. Though her thighs were still bound, Anne's ability to move her legs separately from one another aided her greatly, and she aimed another kick squarely between Thorne's eyes, this time landing a direct hit.

Thorne was thrown back against the wall, and was dazed briefly, but his hand still maintained a tight grip on the handle of the knife. Anne looked at the knife and thought for a moment about trying to free her wrists, but Thorne was quickly coming back to his senses, and she knew one stab could end the fight and her life quickly. Instead, she looked over at Sasha, gesturing toward the still wide open door.

_Sasha! _Anne called out, standing up as best she could but refusing to move until Sasha joined her. Sasha immediately gestured toward Thorne and the knife, and moved her wrists up and down, trying to signal to Anne that they needed to worry about freeing themselves first. Anne shook her head, gesturing toward the door again.

_Anne, we have to... ugh, fine, let's go!_

Sasha wriggled herself into a standing position, hunched over with her wrists still tied to her thighs. Anne was in the same predicament, but could at least walk, while Sasha, her ankles still bound, was forced to hop. The two managed to make it out the door, and made a beeline for the nearby woods, as Thorne continued to stir inside the hovel. Sasha looked over at Anne.

_What's the plan now? He's gonna be faster than us!_

Anne pointed toward the trees.

_We'll free ourselves on a branch or a sharp rock or something!_

Sasha groaned, then followed Anne toward the forest, hoping Thorne wouldn't come after them before they'd managed to find something to cut their bonds. Just as the two started to make it to the trees, Thorne charged out of the front door after them. The two girls continued to try and escape, but Thorne was soon right on top of them. Sasha looked at Anne, then back at Thorne.

_Don't you dare, _thought Anne, who let out a scream of fear as Sasha turned herself around. _NO!_

Sasha started to hop back toward Thorne, only for Anne, who was able to move a lot faster, to run past her and slam into Thorne at top speed, knocking him down.

_GO! _Anne screamed at Sasha, while Thorne quickly picked himself up from the ground. _Get to the forest, find that branch or sharp rock or whatever, and get yourself free! Then... then get out of here!_

Sasha started to give Anne a look that said 'no way', but Anne narrowed her eyes, and Sasha recognized the look immediately.

_End. Of. Discussion._

As Thorne reached Anne, Anne kicked at him as hard as she could, knocking him back. Sasha finally got the message, turning and hopping into the woods, giving Anne one quick look as she disappeared into the trees. Seeing his primary target escape, Thorne gave a cry of fury, trying to get past Anne, but Anne extended her leg and tripped him to the ground. Thorne grabbed Anne by the leg and yanked her down, causing Anne's head to slam hard against the dirt.

"Why are you helping her? She personally oversaw the destruction of a village of frogs just a few miles from here! She laughed as she helped the toads extort the villagers for tax money!"

Anne winced as Thorne listed off Sasha's various crimes since she'd arrived in Amphibia. She knew herself how manipulative and cruel Sasha could be, and didn't doubt that since joining the toads, Sasha had helped them do terrible things.

"I'll let you go right now if you help me finish off Sasha. You can help me put an end to her crimes, and if you do, perhaps I'll consider you a credit to your kind..."

Anne narrowed her eyes furiously at Thorne. Without a word, without giving his offer the dignity of a single thought, she kicked him in the face again.

"Why are you willing to give up your life for hers?" shouted Thorne, before crawling to his feet and punching Anne hard in the face.

_Because she's my friend! _Anne screamed through her gag, lunging forward and headbutting Thorne back. By now, she imagined, she'd given Sasha more than enough time to find a way to free herself, or at least to get away, and even though she might not survive, she knew her friend would... even if she wasn't entirely sure the message Sasha had typed to her before was true.

Thorne grabbed Anne again and tried to pin her down, but Anne kicked at Thorne several more times. Some of Anne's kicks connected, others missed, but Thorne continued to pull Anne backward as she kicked, while she struggled mightily on the ground to get the ropes off of her chest and wrists.

_If I could just... get my legs all the way free... I could kick him right in his stupid frog nuts! Wait, do frogs even have nuts? Ugggh, why didn't I stay awake in biology class?_

Anne continued to fight as Thorne continued to pull her toward the pond. He wasn't going to bother trying to win a wrestling match with her. Her continued defiance and refusal to help him kill her friend had proven that she was just as bad as the other one. She had to die and she had to suffer. Thorne slammed Anne's head into the dirt again to daze her and briefly stop her struggles, then grabbed her by the back of the head and held it above the pond.

"I've learned a lot about your kind... and unlike us, you freaks can't survive a long time underwater... so now..."

Anne barely had time to take a breath before her head was held underwater by Thorne. He climbed on top of her back to pin her hands against the ground and render her kicking useless, but despite this, Anne tried desperately to get free, screaming under the water as bubbles started to come up around her head.

_No... no! I can't die like this... I don't want to die like this! _In the face of absolute, certain death, Anne wasn't like Sasha. She was brave, but not fearless, and her struggles were less furious than they were desperate. She screamed and kicked, but Thorne showed no mercy, continuing to pin her. Anne could feel herself taking in the foul water through her nostrils, and all of her most basic instincts kicked in. She fought and thrashed and struggled and bucked with every muscle in her body, but the ropes held fast and Thorne stayed in place.

"A coward until the end," sneered Thorne. "And I won't stop until I've purged all of your kind from this land."

A million thoughts raced through Anne's head. Her life flashed before her eyes. She screamed, and she started to cry.

_I don't want to die... my family... my friends... I'll never see them again!_

She thought of her parents, who she hadn't seen in months and who she knew had to be worried sick about her, and now who'd never see their beloved daughter again. She thought of her friends... of Marcy, still missing, and of the Plantars... Polly and Hop Pop and Sprig... and she thought of Sasha.

And in that moment, even as Anne sobbed and screamed and begged every deity she could think of that she didn't want to die... she still didn't regret what she had done.

She was going to die saving Sasha's life, and as much as she despised what Sasha had done, and despised how toxic a friend Sasha had been to her... she didn't regret dying to save Sasha, and hoped with everything she had that Sasha would be okay.

She didn't want Sasha to avenge her, or worry about her. She just wanted Sasha to be okay, and wanted her to find a way home.

And with her last thought, she thought of one last good memory of Sasha.

She didn't know if the burning in her chest was of her starved lungs screaming for air, or a warmth in her heart from that good memory, but she would die with that last feeling of warmth within her.

_Sasha... I'm sorry._

CLANG!

Anne could feel a weight lifted from her back... she could move her head.

Instinctively, she lifted it up and gasped... gasped a huge lungful of air right into her open mouth.

_Wait, I can move my lips? _

..._wait... I'm ALIVE?!_

Anne took several more loud, deep gasps, then began coughing and sputtering. Something had melted the slime right from her mouth... and when the stars from her lack of oxygen faded and she could finally see, she turned to see Sasha standing nearby... hunched over an unconscious Thorne, a frying pan clenched in her still tightly bound hands. In fact, Sasha's bonds were still entirely intact, including that slime gag still plastered over her lips. Anne looked at Sasha, then looked at Thorne... then coughed up some more water.

"Sasha... you came back?"

Sasha narrowed her eyes.

_Of course I came back. Who the hell do you think I am?_

"Sasha...!"

Anne would have run over and hugged her, but most of her bonds were still intact as well. Instead, she waddled over and nuzzled Sasha, forehead to forehead, trying to express her gratitude as best she could.

"Thank you... I know I shouldn't be surprised, I'm sorry..."

_Ugh, stop apologizing right now. And wait... how'd you get the slime off your mouth?_

Sasha shot Anne a quizzical look, her eyes moving down to look at Anne's lips, then up at her face. Anne quickly realized what Sasha was asking, and shrugged her shoulders, indicating that she didn't have much of an idea what had happened, but could probably guess.

"I think when Thorne dunked my head into that pond, it melted off the slime," said Anne. "You should dunk your head in there too."

Sasha immediately shot Anne a look that said 'I'd rather never talk again than put my beautiful face into that disgusting water'. Anne laughed.

"Okay, have it your way, but if you want that slime gag off, you'd better take a dip in that nasty pond."

Sasha groaned, rolling her eyes as much as she could. Then, muffling an exasperated 'fine' through her gag, she hopped over to the pond, fell to her knees, and dipped her face in. Several seconds later, she lifted her head out of the pond, the last of the melted slime falling from her lips.

"Uggggggh..." groaned Sasha, looking up at Anne. "Gag me. But not with that slime."

Anne looked down at Thorne again, shuddering as she truly realized how close she'd come to being killed. Sasha scooted over to Anne, gesturing for her to sit. Anne did so, and the two girls took some time to process their thoughts.

"Sasha, thanks-"

"If you're going to thank me for saving your life, don't. We're still friends, remember? There's no way I was gonna let you bite it. Besides... you already saved me."

"I wasn't just thanking you for that," said Anne. "I mean, I'm thankful you saved me, but I mean... before, right after that guy left us alone. I thought you'd be _pissed _at me... like, blaming me for getting us trapped, for not untying you... but you weren't mad at all. And... that made me feel a lot better about getting caught. Like, instead of fighting you, we'd be working together, and that was really encouraging, you know?"

"Anne, why would I blame you for that that jerk did? It'd be no better than him blaming you for all the stuff I did. ...uh, shouldn't we be getting ourselves free before he wakes up? I don't want to go to all the trouble of getting the frying pan out of that guy's house to save you just to have him wake up and kill us, so let's chew these ropes off already or find something in the forest or whatever."

"...right," said Anne. She still had a lot to say to Sasha, but their top priority was getting free, and she leaned over and used her teeth to gnaw at the knot binding Sasha's wrists.

It took a couple of minutes, but finally, the knot came loose, and once that happened, freedom followed shortly after. Sasha slipped loose from the ropes around her wrists and thighs, and was able to free Anne's own arms and legs with her fingers now that she had a better position to do so from. Both girls were then able to untie each other's chest ropes, and after Sasha undid the ropes around her ankles, they were finally, entirely free.

"What a relief," groaned Sasha, rubbing some of the spots on her body where the ropes had chafed. "Now, Anne, you were saying? About you being glad I wasn't mad at you?"

"Yeah... I mean... I have a lot I want to say actually," said Anne. "Like... about Toad Tower... and... I mean... did you really mean that? That I was better off without you?"

This was not a conversation that Sasha wanted to be having, but she knew that Anne wouldn't accept a non-answer, and didn't have the heart to just walk away, especially after all the two of them had just gone through.

_Besides, _thought Sasha, seeing the look of genuine concern on her friend's face, _she deserves an explanation._

Sasha let out a sigh, looking sincerely into Anne's eyes and speaking with great difficulty from her heart.

"I did mean it," said Sasha. "I mean... look at all the pictures on your phone... once you get it off the floor of that guy's house. Everyone in Wartwood loves you! You... you saved them. They're your friends... they're your family. You've clearly been getting along great here. I thought we'd have a great time together living in Toad Tower, just you and me, and Marcy once we find her... and then we could work on getting home. Together. But... but you've been having a great time here playing the hero. And that's not me. Anne, we're still friends, but in that moment, when I knew we were both going to die if I didn't let go, I... I realized how much I wanted you to live. And... maybe them too. The Plantars, I mean. But definitely you."

Anne could tell that Sasha cared about her for more than just someone she could manipulate, but at the same time, she knew that manipulative part of Sasha was still there. She knew that Sasha was still prone to fits of cruelty and selfishness, but she also knew there was hope for her. She didn't know if she could help Sasha become a better person, but she knew she wanted to try. She reached over and took Sasha's hands in hers.

"Sasha, come back to Wartwood with me. Come live with me in Hop Pop's basement. ...I know that doesn't sound like a lot of fun, but it is! We'll hang out together and you can get to know Hop Pop and Sprig and Polly... I bet you'd like Polly. What do you say?"

Sasha squeezed Anne's hands, smiling at her. For the briefest of moments, it seemed as if she would accept. But then, she frowned and let go of Anne's hands, turning slightly away from her.

"I can't go with you, Anne," said Sasha. "I'm still with the toads... I'm still with Grime. I promised I'd stick with them."

"Yeah, but you've broken tons of promises before! No offense, but you have."

"This one's different," said Sasha. Anne started to speak, only for Sasha to briefly raise her hand and cover Anne's mouth with it. "I know, I've said that too."

Sasha lowered her hand, and Anne continued to try to make her case, but Sasha shook her head.

"Grime saved my life," said Sasha. "I owe him. I know that sounds stupid... it sounds stupid to me too, but it's the truth."

"But Sasha..." Anne started again, tears forming in her eyes.

"And besides... you _are _better off without me, at least here," said Sasha. "You have the frogs, and I have the toads. We'll both look for a way out of here in our own way, and we'll both look for Marcy too. I think I have a lead on her... a real one, but I need to go after it without you."

Anne sighed with resignation. When Sasha made up her mind like this, there was nothing Anne could do to change it, and even though she'd learned to stand up to Sasha and defy her decisions when they concerned her, she wasn't going to try to change Sasha's mind regarding herself. She didn't have any more right to tell Sasha what to do than Sasha had to tell her.

"All right... but be careful," said Anne, reaching out and grabbing Sasha's hand again. "And don't think I won't come save you if I find out you're in trouble again, because I will!"

Sasha smiled back at Anne.

"Same here," she replied. "We might be going our separate ways, but if I find a way out, I'll come find you. Either all of us are leaving together, or none of us are."

Anne smiled and nodded, and pulled Sasha in closer. Sasha moved toward Anne, and the two then embraced, holding each other tightly. The hug lasted for quite some time before the two finally pulled away from one another. As Anne turned to leave, she felt Sasha's hand on her shoulder. She turned back, and felt Sasha's lips press fiercely against her own. Anne's eyes went wide for a moment, then she slowly closed them. The moment her eyes finally closed, the kiss ended, and Sasha finally parted from her. Anne stood there stunned for several moments, a hand pressed to her cheek, her eyes once again wide open, and her entire face red. Sasha was already walking away, but she looked back one last time toward Anne.

"Love you," she said, before walking off into the trees and leaving Anne alone in the clearing with the still unconscious Thorne.

"Uh... was that a friend kiss, or, uh..." Anne stammered, finally lowering her hand from her cheek. She then looked down at Thorne. "Whoa! Uh, I guess I better tie him up or something..."

As Anne walked back toward the hovel to fetch some ropes, and also her phone, she could hear a high pitched screaming from the trees. She turned and saw Bessie coming toward her at full speed, being ridden by Sprig, Hop Pop, and a flail-swinging Polly, shouting out a war cry.

"Don't worry Anne, I'll super murder that trickster!" Polly shrieked, hopping off of Bessie and looking frantically in all directions. "Just point me in his general direction and I'll smash his skull!"

"It's okay, he's right there," said Anne, pointing at Thorne. "We already kicked his butt."

"We?" asked Hop Pop, climbing down off of Bessie and walking over toward Anne. "What do you mean by we?"

"Wait a minute, is Ivy here?" asked Sprig, looking around. "Aww man, you invited Ivy to be your backup and not me? Is she still here? Is she asking about me?"

"No, I mean me and..." Anne paused for a moment, wondering if it was really a good idea to discuss who she had been held captive with. Then, with a sigh, she decided to tell the truth, hoping it wouldn't result in anything bad happening to her friend. "Me and Sasha."

"Sasha?" Hop Pop exclaimed. "Your human friend from your world? But wasn't she working with the toads?"

"She was, and still is," replied Anne. "But she came here for the same reason I did, because this guy spread a rumor about there being a way home. He was trying to capture us. He hates the toads, and he also hates humans."

"I see..." mused Sprig, rubbing his chin while pacing around the unconscious kidnapper. He picked up a stick and started poking at Thorne, only for Hop Pop to lightly smack the twig away. "So Sasha's working behind the toads' backs?"

"I just think she wants to get home as much as I do," said Anne with a sigh. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I love it here with you guys, but-"

"Ya miss yer home, I get it," said Hop Pop. "And we promised we'd help ya find it, and we're still gonna! So you don't need to be going off on any excursions to dangerous hovels to find a way back home, because we're a team, remember?"

"Yeah, and next time you do go off somewhere dangerous, bring me too!" shouted Polly, slamming her flail down into the ground.

"And me too! And maybe Ivy Sundew."

"Nobody's going anywhere else dangerous today," said Hop Pop, walking over to Bessie as Anne ran inside the house to retrieve her phone. "I can't stop ya from sneakin' off, so you need to promise me ya won't do anything dangerous like this."

"Okay," replied Anne. "With one exception."

"Uh, what's that?" asked Hop Pop.

"Sasha and I promised each other that if one of us was in danger, the other would come save them. So no matter how dangerous it is, if Sasha's ever in danger, I _will _go and rescue her, no matter what. She'd do the same for me."

"Somehow, I'm not so sure..." said Sprig, looking worried.

"Yeah, didn't she try to kill us before?" asked Polly.

"She did, and then she sacrificed her life to save us," Anne replied. "I mean, almost sacrificed, since Grime saved her, but the sentiment's still the same. If Sasha's ever in trouble, I'm going."

"Then we're coming too," said Hop Pop, "and that's final. We're a family, and if you care about yer friend that much, we'll be right there with ya."

"Meanwhile, let's take him to jail!" shouted Polly, pointing at Thorne.

After securing the unconscious toad with some of his own ropes, Anne and the Plantars got back onto Bessie and started back toward Wartwood. Anne took one last look at Thorne's hovel, wondering just who else out there might be hunting for humans... and if she or Sasha would ever have to make good on the promise they made to each other.

_Sasha... you're right. No matter what happens, we'll find a way out of here and go back home together._

Anne then looked over at the Plantars, the new friends she'd made here in Amphibia.

_I know what I promised you guys, but I don't want to drag you into anything having to do with Sasha. If she's in trouble and I have to go save her, I'm going on my own. I know that we brought trouble here when we came, and I'm not letting you guys get hurt because of it._

Anne reached up to her lips, touching the spot where Sasha had kissed her, and thought back to that memory she had of Sasha the moment she thought she was going to die.

She could still see Sasha standing over Thorne with that frying pan.

She could still feel Sasha's lips pressed against hers.

_I hope I never have to come save you, Sasha... but if you ever do need saving, I'll be there, even if I have to come save you alone._

Anne looked out into the forest, in the direction she'd seen Sasha leave. She tried to spot her through the trees, but only the memory remained.

_End of discussion._


End file.
